


Papyrus's Dollhouse

by StripesnBooks



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kidnapping, Yandere, Yandere!Papyrus, dubcon, hostage, i think, its gonna be real dark up in here, possessive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2019-10-25 23:51:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17735012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StripesnBooks/pseuds/StripesnBooks
Summary: Papyrus is such a nice guy, and your favorite customer! You've been harboring a crush on him for some time, and couldn't be more excited when he asks you out! but things quickly get... strange... and then uncomfortable... and then bad... and then terrifying.Maybe you misjudged this innocent seeming skeleton.





	1. The Great Papyrus

**Author's Note:**

> hey! so this will be a VERY DARK fic. At least, I'm pretty sure it will be. So be aware of that. I will be doing trigger warnings at the start of each chapter, although I don't think there's any in this first chapter. but just be aware, and take care fo yourself.
> 
> beyond that, enjoy!

It was time for the lunch rush, and you were probably the only waitress who enjoyed this shift. Everyone else in the kitchen was grumbling or yelling orders, but you managed to pick up your meals and take them out to table B-2, where your favorite customers were sitting.

The monster task force.

“FUHUHUHU! As if you could defeat Mew Mew in battle!”

“Bark!”

“Yeah, but she has, like, magic lasers!”

“Bark!”

“Why do her cat ears matter in battle?!”

“PLEASE YOU SHOULD BOTH BE QUIET, YOU ARE DISTURBING THE OTHER PATRONS!”

Your grin spread wider at the last comment, from your favorite customer. Papyrus. The skeleton monster was the tallest one there, beating out Undyne the fish monster by mere inches. With them today were Lesser Dog and Dogaressa, and they all seemed to be having a lively conversation. Papyrus noticed you first, his face lighting up in a brilliant smile that brought a tinge of pink to your cheeks. Soon the other were looking at you as well.

You smiled at them. “We have a double patty burger for Mrs. Dogaressa, steak bones for Mr. LD, chicken noodle soup for captain Undyne, and a hero sandwich for Mr. Papyrus.” You handed everyone their food, and they almost all immediately dug in.

Papyrus, however, looked at you sternly. “YOU CAN’T KEEP CALLING ME MISTER! JUST PAPYRUS IS FINE!”

You giggled a little. You had gotten rather giggly around Papyrus recently. “Sorry Papyrus. Just a work habit!”

He quickly melted into a smile, a light orange glow lighting up his cheekbones. Near as you could tell, that meant he was happy. “WELL, AS LONG AS YOU UNDERSTAND, I FORGIVE YOU.”

One of the other waiters called out to you, reminding you that this was still the lunch rush. “I’d better get back to work! Let me know if you need anything!” you turned around and scurried back to the kitchen to deliver more food to the patrons. Being so close to the police station, it was tradition for them to spend their lunch breaks here, gossiping, relaxing, and arguing over sports on the television. You used to hate it, before the monster taskforce started coming. What had once been a bunch of rowdy cops that had made the other patrons nervous now included a bunch of monsters that were a bit more rowdy, but somehow so much more welcoming. They never joked about arresting you, were friendly to everyone and a lot less clique-y than the other cops, and were just more interesting! On slower days, you loved to listen to their stories of the underground, or their adventures on the surface. The larger groups still intimidated humans, but when there were just a couple, especially Papyrus and Undyne, people would sometimes gather around them for stories. The diner was also a cafe, so people would come by for coffee or pie. Those were the ones that were almost as interested in listening to monster stories as you were.

“Hey! Snap out of your daydreams!” you co-worker, Angelina, frowned down at you. “We all know you have googoo eyes for the skeleton, but flirt  _ after  _ the lunch rush, please?”

“W-what? I’m not flirting!” Yet. You quickly gathered up the next meal to deliver it to another table. “I’m just giving good customer service!”

“Want me to write your number on their receipt? I’ll even kiss it for you!” one of the others joked.

“No!” you squeaked, quickly leaving the kitchens.

 

Undyne grinned. She had been watching you and Papyrus for months now, and she was sure of her conclusions. “NGAAAH, JUST ASK HER OUT ALREADY!” she yelled, slamming her fists on the table. The wood creaked, and Lesser Dog yipped in surprise.

“UNDYNE PLEASE BE QUIET!”  Papyrus yelled. “I’M… GETTING AROUND TO IT!” He was blushing even harder now, a large portion of his face glowing orange with magic. “IT JUST… ISN’T THE RIGHT TIME!”

Undyne grinned. She knew Papyrus better than almost anyone. The weenie would get around to it, but he should do it sooner! Like now! And then he’d already have a girlfriend and they could go on double dates and things would be great! Plus, Undyne had seen the way you both looked at each other. The both of you had it bad. “It’s TOTALLY the right time!” She insisted, leaning over the table towards her skeleton friend. “What if someone else asks first?! You gotta get out there and GO FOR IT!”

Papyrus sat up straight at that. He was… nervous, to say the least. He had prepared several speeches to ask you on the perfect date, but then he kept thinking of better ones. So he figured, the longer he waited, the better his speeches would get, and the more likely you were to say yes! But… if someone else asked you first… the plastic cup in his hands cracked audibly, and milk began leaking out of several new openings on the side. “OH MY! OH NO! WAITRESS?!”

Undyne laughed as you quickly bustled over, one hand holding a tray with several empty glasses on top. “Oh gosh!” you exclaimed at the leaky cup, quickly setting down the tray. You grabbed the cup from him, but now it was leaking onto the tray… you took one of the dirty cups and poured the milk into that. With a sigh of relief, you said, “i’ll get you a new one right away! Do you need any extra napkins?” you pushed down the urge to ask what happened, knowing that monsters were tougher than humans and often forgot their own strength. You did not want to be rude to Papyrus. Or any other monster. Not just the tall, handsome, funny skeleton.

“N-NO! I AM PERFECTLY FINE! I APOLOGISE FOR BREAKING YOUR CUP!” he was a bit embarrassed to have accidentally done such a thing. He was the great Papyrus! A man of discipline! He used his napkin to mop up some of the spilt milk, and when it became soaked, took the napkins from the other monsters to get it all. Lesser Dog was lapping at the table, not letting anything got to waste, Dogaressa was trying to keep the milk off her nice black clothes, and Undyne was pounding the table laughing.

You gave them a smile. “It’s alright, as long as no one was hurt!”

Papyrus smiled dreamily after you as you left. You truly were an angel! Maybe… he should follow Undyne’s advice. She  _ did  _ already have a wife, so she had experience! A different waiter dropped off the bills while you were in the back, and Undyne grabbed them all to distribute them. But… she paused before handing Papyrus his portion.

“Fuhuhu… GWAHAHA! PAPYRUS! LOOK!” She shoved the paper at Papyrus’s face, which did not help him actually see what was on the paper. Undyne continued to laugh as he read aloud your name, and: “call me - xxx-xxxx”. There was a lipstick smooch on it too, just like the cartoons! However, being the intelligent guard that he is, Papyrus immediately knew what was wrong. “GWAHAHA! I knew she was totally into you! You GOTTA ask her out now!”

“... I THINK I WILL. BUT FIRST, I MUST SHOW HER THIS.”

Undyne stopped laughing, looking confused. “Why? She wrote it.”

“NO, SHE DID NOT.” He pointed to the note. “THE HANDWRITING IS DIFFERENT, AND THIS K-KISS DOES NOT SMELL LIKE HER.”

Dogaressa now turned to the skeleton, voice concerned. “You already recognize her scent?”

Whatever Papyrus’s answer would have been was interrupted by your return. “Are you all ready to pay?” They all handed you the money except Papyrus. “Papyrus?”

“UM, I THINK THAT PERHAPS YOUR CO-WORKERS HAVE PLAYED A JAPE ON YOU.”  He handed you the money, but pulled out the bill with the message on it.

You face immediately went red. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, that wasn’t- it must have been one of the others because- i mean, that’s my number and you can have it if you want but-!” you reigned in your rambling, slapping a hand over your face.

Papyrus gently wrapped his fingers around your hand, pulling it away and uncovering your face. “ACTUALLY. UM. I WAS WONDERING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO. GO ON A DATE SOMETIME?”

Time seemed to freeze. You didn’t notice the encouraging howls of Undyne and the dog monsters, caught up in your thoughts. Papyrus. Wanted to go on a date. With you. “Yes. yes! Um, i have to get back to work, but, um, you have my number now! S-so text me when and where, and i’ll let you know when i’m free!” you gave his hand a squeeze, before rushing back to the register to deposit the money.

 

Papyrus stared after you. You had said yes.

 

You little apartment was messy, but most of it was clothes that you could kick around to reach your bed. It was just a little place, with just the bedroom, living room, and kitchen, but you were saving up for somewhere better, and you’d move as soon as you heard back from one of your job applications. You had no intention of working at the diner forever, no matter how nice of a place it was. But none of that mattered, and your job was currently the best job in the world, because Papyrus had asked you on a date! You flopped onto your sheets, squealing into a pillow. You had a date with the most cute and charming man you had ever met! Maybe you were way too happy to date a man you hardly knew, and a monster at that, but if you went on a date you’d get to know each other more! So it was fine!

“I have a date with Papyrus!” you screamed into your pillow. You collapsed back, and soon after you heard your phone go off. It was a call from Papyrus! You snatched your phone up, fumbled and dropped it, and then had to dive off the side of the bed to pick it up. But it seemed you had accidentally answered it when you dropped it, because as soon as you grabbed it you could hear a familiar voice.

“HELLO? ARE YOU THERE?”

You smiled brightly. “Yes! Hey Papyrus, sorry, i dropped my phone.”

“OH! YOU SHOULD PICK IT UP!”

“I did, don’t worry.” he was so cute in how he took things!

“WELL THEN! I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS OUR DATE! IS TOMORROW AROUND SIX GOOD FOR YOU?”

You put Papyrus on speakerphone in order to scroll through your google calendar app. “My shift ends right at six, so maybe after I have time to get home and change?”

“I COULD DRIVE YOU HOME AFTER WORK. I DON’T MIND, AND I’M SURE YOU’D BE GRATEFUL NOT TO MISS SPENDING ANY TIME WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

“That sounds lovely. I’ll see you after work!”


	2. The Lovely Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus takes you out for a nice date! what a sweetheart.
> 
> I have so many story ideas, and Papyrus's Dollhouse is my most recent one I got really excited about. But i also write several other stories, most notably a reverse harem of au skeletons called The Itch. So check out my other works as well, if you have time!
> 
> check out my tumblr! theres also a kofi link there if you've got a few spare dollars.  
> https://homesafterthemountain.tumblr.com/
> 
> and my discord, where i talk about my works sometimes!  
> https://discord.gg/jFNKFzr

Of course today was the day you’d spill coffee all over your uniform. You had got most of it off, but your clothes were still damp and your apron would probably stain. And of course you didn’t bring any spare clothes. You stood in the break room, staring at your locker. Should you call Papyrus and cancel? You really didn’t want him to see you like this, all soggy and sad. But maybe it would be fine? You had dried it off somewhat, so you weren’t too worried about dirtying his car.

“Hey! Papyrus is asking about you at the counter!” Angelina said, popping her head in through the doorway. “What do i tell him?”

You sighed. “I’ll be out in a moment, but… uh, tell him i spilled coffee, so i don’t look great.” you heaved another sigh. “Might as well give him some warning that i don’t look that hot… what if he doesn’t want to go on a date with me like this?”

Your co-worker laughed. “He’d go on a date with you if you were covered head to toe in egg. But i’ll let him know.” she ducked out.

You took a moment to compose yourself, before stepping out to the front. But all your nerves melted into a smile as Papyrus all but literally lit up upon seeing you. “Hey Papyrus! Sorry I took so long!”

“IT’S FINE! I CAN WAIT A LONG TIME!” His smile dropped a millimeter as he took in your appearance. “ARE YOU ALRIGHT? WAS THERE A PROBLEM AT WORK?”

“No, just me being clumsy…” you gave an embarrassed smile. “But I’ll change when we drop by my house. You good to go?”

He perked up. “THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS READY!”

You waved goodbye to your coworkers, who immediately broke out into whispers when you turned your back, and made for the door. You were so excited. How long had you imagined this, wondered what a real date with Papyrus would be like?! Maybe you thought about it a little too much. But it had been so long since you had a crush, so it was probably normal. He led you around the building to the parking lot, and you walked right up to a shiny red convertible with the top down. You stopped and gawked, unsure even as the tall skeleton went and opened the passenger side door for you.

When you didn’t move, Papyrus looked understandably concerned. “IS SOMETHING WRONG?”

“This is your car?” you didn’t think policemen got paid enough for a car like that.

“IT IS INDEED! BEING A VERY TALL AND HANDSOME MONSTER, I NEEDED A CAR THAT WAS EQUALLY HANDSOME AND COULD ACCOMODATE MY SIZE. IS… THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT?”

“No, not at all!” you rushed to reassure him. “I was just surprised since it’s such a nice car! Not that i thought you didn’t have a nice car, but… this is the fanciest car i’ve ever seen, besides a limo.” 

You gingerly stepped into the passenger side seat, and he closed the door before going around and literally hopping into the driver’s seat, not even bothering to open the door. “WELL I HAVE GREAT PLANS FOR THIS DATE!” Papyrus declared proudly, backing out of the lot and onto the road.

 

Riding in the car with the wind in your hair had actually felt really good, and you couldn't help smiling at the scenery even though you knew your hair would be a mess. It wasn’t long before you arrived home, and you rushed out to the front door before Papyrus could open the car door for you. You were ready to be out of these clothes as soon as possible. As you opened the door you looked behind you to Papyrus. 

“I’m going to go change, but make yourself at home in the living room!” you announced.

He strode inside, having to duck a bit at the door, but he seemed entertained looking around, so you went up to your room. Okay. this was fine. You stripped and took the fastest shower of your life, before blow drying your hair and pulling out the date outfit you had planned last night. It was a cute skirt and top, some of your favorites. At first you had thought about wearing more reds or oranges since those seemed to be Papyrus’s favorite colors, but in the end you decided to go with something  _ you  _ would like. And you wanted to be  _ you  _ on this date. You equipped a bit of jewelry and lip gloss, put your hair up in a ponytail, and went back downstairs. Papyrus was not in the living room when you entered. With a frown, you followed some noises and found him in the kitchen.

“Papyrus?” 

“OH! APOLOGIES!” he closed the cupboard he had been looking through and walked over to you. You suddenly became very aware of how little you really knew about Papyrus, despite serving him weekly at the diner for almost a year. You had practically let a stranger into your home. “I WAS TRYING TO GET A FEEL FOR WHAT KIND OF TEAS YOU PREFERRED, BUT I COULDN’T FIND ANY.” You appreciated how he looked you up and down, that orange glow tinting his cheekbones.

You relaxed a little at that answer as he came out and you both returned to the living room. “I don’t drink tea often; i’m not a huge fan. But i’m all ready to go!”

“EXCELLENT!” Papyrus gave you a dazzling smile that had you feeling all floaty and smiley. “THEN LET US JOURNEY TO OUR FIRST DESTINATION!”

 

The first destination was a restaurant. It was easily the fanciest restaurant you had ever been to, with nice glass windows and the waiters dressed in collared shirts with bows. You felt a tad under-dressed, but Papyrus was only in a collared shirt and jeans himself, so that put you at ease as you were led to the table that the skeleton had apparently reserved.

“Do you… often eat at places like this?” You asked nervously, looking over the menu. Holy cow, everything was expensive.

“NO, NOT REALLY! BUT I WANTED TO TAKE YOU SOMEWHERE NICE FOR OUR FIRST DATE!” First date. That meant he thought there would be more! You tried not to smile too much as he continued. “THIS WAS ONE OF THE NICEST PLACES I FOUND! SO ORDER WHATEVER YOU LIKE TONIGHT.” He beamed at you, before returning to his menu.

You gave a timid smile in return, looking over the entrees before deciding on a simple seafood alfredo. He ordered spaghetti for himself, and you turned down his offer of wine. It wouldn’t do to get drunk on a first date, after all.

“FOR FUTURE REFERENCE, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF FOOD?” Papyrus asked, buttering some of the complimentary bread.

“Hmm… the kind i don’t have to make? But really, i probably like burgers. Or any sandwich type meal. Especially when you get the perfect bite, with all the flavors together.” and it helped that sandwiches were easy to make. Diner work might have put you off regularly cooking your own meals, even if you were usually only a server.

He handed you the buttered bread and you took it absently, trying to decide on your favorite sandwich. “I PREFER PASTA MYSELF, BUT A GOOD SANDWICH CAN ALSO BE ENJOYABLE. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER IN THE UNDERGROUND, THERE WAS THIS ONE SANDWICH CALLED THE LEGENDARY HERO THAT ALL THE CHILDREN WANTED, SINCE IT WAS RUMORED TO TURN YOU INTO A HERO! BUT IT WAS ONLY AVAILABLE IN HOTLAND.”

You continued to talk until the food came, begging stories of the underground from Papyrus and giving a few of your own in return. He was always so enthusiastic and dramatic; you loved the way he talked of his adventures. The food was downright heavenly, and Papyrus insisted you try a bite of his meal, which you accepted with a blush, although you snatched the fork from his hand when it looked like he was going to feed you. Nope, too far for the first date, you thought as a blush came over you. You gave him a taste of your food in return, making sure he handled his own cutlery. After the food and the bill, which you didn’t want to see in the slightest, he escorted you back to the car, leftovers in tow.

“Where to now?” You asked, still having trouble wiping the wide smile from your face. But then again, was there really any reason to hide the fact that you were having a good time?

“A SURPRISE!” Papyrus laughed with a boisterous nyeh-heh-heh. You both got into the car and drove off into the now-dark city. You were unsure of the last time you had driven around at night like this, usually being far too tired after work. In fact, you were feeling a bit tired now, but you didn’t want this date to end. While your body was beginning to remember the strain of waiting tables all day, your mind was racing with curiosity and excitement and infatuation, wondering where Papyrus was taking you next.

The car pulled up outside a place called ‘Lost Ark’, where you saw a few video games for sale in the window. Was he going to take you shopping? For video games? “So what are we doing, Papyrus?” You asked with a nervous smile, honestly kind of hoping he would buy you a video game.

“FOLLOW ME!” he entered into the store, and you stayed close behind. He nodded to the older man behind the register, who smiled back and handed over… a cup full of tokens. “DO YOU LIKE GAMES?” You were a bit confused as he walked further into the store, and through a doorway with some curtains over it.

And before your eyes was an arcade.

There were some games you recognized, dancing games, fighting games, shooting games… but also other games, most of the writing on the side in Japanese and Korean. “THIS ARCADE HAS THE MOST POPULAR GAMES FROM ASIA! WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY FIRST?” Papyrus handed you the plastic cup of coins, and you realized these must be for all the games. You looked around, bright eyed. How long had it been since you’d been to a place like this?! It wasn’t a video game, he had bought you access to a bunch of different video games. Ones you could play together.

“That one!” grabbing his hand, you dashed over to one you remembered from childhood.

 

Papyrus was very good at video games. He had beaten you at every single one you had played against each other, so you soon found yourself drawn to more co-player games.

“So do you come here often?” You asked, aiming your fake fire hose at the screen in an odd game about putting out fires.

“YES, I ENJOY COMING HERE EVERY NOW AND THEN TO BLOW OFF STEAM!” He was far better at holding his fake hose steady. “THE MANAGER IS VERY NICE, AND I ALSO BUY PRESENTS FOR MY BROTHER SOMETIMES!”

You had heard him mention his brother before, although from what you overheard it seemed like his brother had moved away a while ago. “You brother likes video games too?”

“IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP HIS MIND SHARP, SINCE THE LAZYBONES DOESN’T LIKE GETTING UP FOR REAL PUZZLES!”

“Heh, but video games are really fun!”

“I SUPPOSE. I SIMPLY PREFER MORE ACTIVE GAMES! LIKE WII SPORTS!”

“Ah man, i used to have a wii. If you have one, we should play sometime!”

A light orange tint covered his cheeks. “... YES. I WOULD LIKE THAT VERY MUCH.”

 

It was very dark out by the time papyrus drove you back, the lights of the city as you drove home bright and unnatural, but beautiful. You hadn’t managed to make it through all the coins before Papyrus noticed you getting tired and insisting that you use the rest another day. A quick check of your phone showed that it was approaching midnight, and as the fancy car pulled up in front of your house you almost wanted to fall asleep there rather than make the long trek to your bed.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT? IF NECESSARY, I COULD CARRY YOU INSIDE!”

You chuckled at his gracious offer. “Thanks Papyrus, but I think I can make it.” he opened your door and walked you to the front of your house. As you fished out your keys, you turned to look at him. “I had a really great time! Let’s do this again later.”

His smile could power the city, you would swear on it, and you found yourself smiling contentedly in return. “YES! MOST DEFINITELY I WILL ASK YOU ON ANOTHER DATE AND IT WILL WORK JUST AS WELL AS THIS ONE AND THEN YOU WILL WANT TO GO ON ANOTHER AGAIN!”

You laughed again at his enthusiasm. Gosh, he was cute. “Definitely.” with a  short pause, you reached forward to wrap your arms around him. He seemed surprised, but it was hardly a second before his arms wrapped back around you, holding you tight to him. Your face pressed against his shirt, and you could feel his ribcage through the fabric. Your arms wrapped loosely around his middle, unsure if you should squeeze more when it seemed as if you could easily tighten around his spine. Was is rude to do that? You weren’t sure, so you didn’t. You let go first, and there was a moment when you weren’t sure if Papyrus would release you, but he eventually did.

“I HAD A WONDERFUL NIGHT. I WILL CALL YOU TO SET UP ANOTHER DATE SOON!”

“Yeah!” with a shy smile, and a blush that you didn’t notice until you made it to the bathroom, you bid him farewell and entered into your house. Door locked. Face washed. Pajamas equipped. And you fell onto your bed and into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! hope you enjoy this! It's fun writing a yandere character and I look forward to the angst to come.  
> next chapter look out for trigger warnings! I'll do my best to tag them, but feel free to call me out if you think I've missed any, ever. 
> 
> check out my tumblr! theres also a kofi link there if you've got a few spare dollars.  
> https://homesafterthemountain.tumblr.com/
> 
> and my discord, where i talk about my works sometimes!  
> https://discord.gg/jFNKFzr


	3. The Beautiful Guest Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> t/w guns, violence, near death experience, shock
> 
> lemme know if I missed something, i wanna keep this safe. <3

It was a normal day at the diner. There was a lull in customers, so most of the waitresses and waiters were gossipping in the back. There was only a few people in the booths, a father taking his son out, a couple of ladies that might have been on a date, and a single man eating his eggs. You were just ready for the monster taskforce to show up so that you could see Papyrus again. You had both been texting to plan your next date, but with work exhausting you a bit more than usual, you hadn’t been able to go out yet. Being the sweetie that he was, Papyrus had been completely understanding and patient. You grabbed the bill for the man at your table, walking out past the laughing baristas behind the counter and your co-worker delivery a coloring page to her booth, the sun shining through the windows, lazy music from a  local radio station playing over the speakers…

And then you were pulled. Shouting, screams. A gun to your head. There was a gun to you head,  _ a gun to your head _ , you couldn’t process things properly, your legs were shaking, you were terrified, your single customer was dragging you to the front, demanding your boss empty the till. They did, of course, shoving the cash into a take-out bag and whispering words of encouragement to you. You felt the cold metal against your head. You still couldn’t think straight. You were going to die. You were too scared to struggle with the man, and he started backing out towards the door. You were so scared, would he let you go?! And then your vision went green. A sort of shield had appeared in front of you, made of glowing green magic, and the gun was no longer pressed to your temple.

“GET DOWN PUNK!”

You wished you could obey Undyne’s commands as the monster taskforce stormed in, but you couldn’t make your body move. The next few seconds were in slow motion in front of you. Undyne’s normally yellow eye was tinged green, and you realized the shield must be her doing. The robber turned to her, then faced you, the gun still pointed in your direction. Dogamy jumped in between the man and the other customers, a giant axe in his hands. The gun pointed at you went off, and the shield shattered, but the bullet didn’t hit you. Next was a flash of blue, and then the man was on the floor, and there was Papyrus.

Time moved normally again as the large skeleton ran up to you, his right eye socket glowing blue. “OH STARS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? DID HE HURT YOU?”

“I’m… I…” were you alright? Definitely not. But you were not physically harmed, at least.

Papyrus looked down at you with… pity? Worry? You weren’t sure. But then he turned on the man covered in blue and splayed on the floor as if held down by some invisible force. “YOU. HAVE A LOT TO ANSWER FOR.” you had never heard the happy-go-lucky monster sound so… angry.

“Hey, chill paps,” Undyne said, patting the skeleton’s shoulder while she pulled out a pair of handcuffs and restrained the man. “And let him up.” the blue faded, and Undyne lifted the human up and walked him out the door. The gun was on the ground, and you found yourself staring at it.

Papyrus turned back to face you, and followed your line of sight. He nodded at Dogamy, who nodded back and picked up the weapon as police sirens were heard. Papyrus, in turn, picked  _ you  _ up. “WHY DON’T WE GO SOMEWHERE ELSE?” He asked gently. You nodded, embarrassed by being handled like this, but also comforted a bit by the large skeleton’s presence. He carried you out of the restaurant and down the street. You hadn’t expected to be carried such a long time, but ended up in an ice cream shop. You still found it hard to speak, but nodded when Papyrus correctly guessed your favorite flavor. He bought you both cones and and walked you outside into the sunlight with your ice cream. He had ordered birthday cake flavor. Colorful sprinkles stood out from the white ice cream. “...AREN’T YOU GOING TO EAT YOURS?”

You blinked, and obediently took a lick of your ice cream. It was really good. “...sorry, just…”

“YOU’RE IN SHOCK. IT’S NORMAL, THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU. THE SUGAR SHOULD HELP YOU CALM DOWN.” he reached over to place a hand over your free hand that rested on the table.

“... thank you Papyrus. Really.” you managed a wobbly smile up at him. “You- and the other monsters- saved me.”

He puffed up. “BUT OF COURSE! AMONG THE MANY DUTIES OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS RESCUING BEAUTIFUL MAIDENS!” he smiled as you laughed, until your gaze went somewhere distant. You were eating your ice cream very slowly. It was beginning to melt. “IF YOU DO NOT FEEL SAFE, YOU COULD STAY AT MY HOUSE TONIGHT.” you snapped up to stare at him wide-eyed. “I HAVE A SPARE ROOM AND A STATE-OF-THE-ART SECURITY SYSTEM! IT WOULD ENSURE THAT NO ONE HARMS YOU. WE CAN STOP BY YOUR HOUSE TO GRAB BOOKS OR GAMES TO HELP YOU CALM DOWN, AND YOU CAN STAY WITH ME FOR AS LONG AS YOU WANT!”

It… did sound appealing. Like being in protective custody. No one would be able to hurt you under Papyrus’s watch, you were sure. And he had a spare room… “Yeah. yeah, i would… really appreciate that.”

He smiled gently down at you. “ALRIGHT. LET’S STOP BY YOUR HOUSE AND GET SOME THINGS FOR A FEW DAYS, JUST TO BE SAFE. I AM SURE YOUR MANAGER WILL NOT WANT YOU RETURNING TO WORK TOO QUICKLY. YOU’LL NEED A FEW CHANGES OF CLOTHES, YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS AND VIDEO GAMES, YOUR SKETCHBOOKS…”

You nodded idly, still in a bit of a daze. Your cheeks heated up as you thought more about it. You would be staying at Papyrus’s house! You found yourself unable to finish your ice cream, but Papyrus said you could continue eating it in the car. He offered to carry you to where he had parked his vehicle, but you quickly insisted you could walk by yourself. It’d be embarrassing for him to carry you everywhere! The walk was quiet as you managed to finish your ice cream and reached the police station. He took your trash for you and held the door for you as you got inside.

“Papyrus?” You found yourself saying, “Thank you. For all of this.”

That same smile, gentle as the setting sun. “OF COURSE! AFTER ALL, YOU’RE MY FAVORITE HUMAN! AND I WANT YOU TO BE SAFE AND HAPPY.”

His favorite human! You found yourself blushing, trying not to smile too much. He took you home, and together you packed for your stay, before heading out to his house. The drive back was nice, filled with idle chatter as you felt yourself calming down. This morning, those horrible events, felt like a dream. Like they weren’t real, and never happened. The only real thing was what was happening now. Your time with Papyrus.

 

His house was huge! Not quite a mansion, but still! You looked around as the two of you walked up to the front door. The inside was just as impressive, impeccably clean, with an open floor plan revealing a kitchen, dining room, living room, and gym area.

“W-wow, this is… amazing,” You said, taking it all in. “Do you have like, some secret side job? That makes a ton of money?”

“I DABBLE IN THE STOCK MARKET,” He said proudly, carrying all of your bags in and refusing to let you help. “THE GUEST ROOM IS UPSTAIRS! FOLLOW ME!” he bounded up a huge staircase, and it was all you could do to keep up as he led you down a thin stretch of hall, bordered on one side by many closed doors and the other railing on the edge of the balcony. However, the railing was topped not with empty space, but glass so clean you didn’t notice it until your hand made contact.

“Papyrus? Why is there glass here?”

“OH! I AM A VERY TALL SKELETON, SO THE RAILING WAS NOT TALL ENOUGH FOR ME! BUT I DID NOT WANT TO BLOCK THE VIEW, SO I CAME UP WITH THIS SOLUTION INSTEAD!”

“Oh.” Well, he  _ was  _ very tall. It made sense. The room he stopped at had the same door as all the others on this floor, but when he opened it… it was fit for a princess. Your jaw dropped as you followed him inside. It had a poster bed, surrounded by curtains like you had wanted ever since you were a kid. The dresser and drawers were all made of a dark, tasteful wood, with fancy swirls and engravings, and brass handles. There was a bookcase whose contents you’d have to explore later, a small flat screen TV, and even an attached bathroom!

Papyrus waited nervously in front of the doorway, having placed your things inside. “DO… DO YOU LIKE IT?”

You whirled to face him, a huge smile on your face. “I love it! This is way better than any hotel, any room I’ve ever stayed in! Its beautiful, and it has a television!” You rushed over to him, crashing against him to give a tight hug. “Maybe i’ll just stay here. Like a gremlin, refusing to leave your house.”

“NYEH HEH HEH! YOU CAN IF YOU WANT! I CERTAINLY WOULDN’T MIND.”

You pulled back, laughing a bit. “Careful what you wish for. I’ve been told I can be a messy roommate.”

“WELL, FOR NOW I’LL LEAVE YOU TO GET SET UP! I WILL BRING DINNER TO YOU WHEN IT IS DONE.”

“Thanks again, Papyrus.”

He gave a bright smile, and then turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. This… was going to be quite the vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're in the houuuuuse!!! :3 isn't paps such a great host? what a nice guy.


	4. The Surprising Revelation

Papyrus really was treating you like a princess. He brought you dinner in bed and you both watched a movie, and when he left he told you to call if you needed anything. Despite that morning, you found yourself sinking into the plush mattress and sleeping like a rock. 

You woke the next morning to a knock on your door. 

“MAY I COME IN? I HAVE BROUGHT BREAKFAST FOODS!”

You found yourself smiling. Breakfast in bed! Those butterflies in your stomach were extra active today as you called it a positive response and sat up against the headboard. As he opened the door, a soft smile came over your face. He really was attractive, and kind, and thoughtful… he had even made your favorite eggs! Well, not that he could have known they were your favorite, but it was still really nice. “Thank you for making breakfast! Sunny side up is my favorite.”

He grinned as he handed you the plate, sitting on the edge of the bed. “GOOD! I AM A VERY SKILLED CHEF, SO I CAN MAKE WHATEVER YOU LIKE!” He watched expectantly as you took a bite, moaning in delight at the warm eggs and toast. 

“Well, I don't want to be a bother. You've already gone out of your way, letting me stay here and eat your food. Why don't you let me take you out later? To lunch, or dinner?” you shoveled more eggs in your mouth, doing the toast in the right yolk, as you waited for an answer. 

“NO, IT’S QUITE FINE! I ENJOY COOKING! PLUS IT IS MUCH SAFER INSIDE THE HOUSE.”

You swallowed your bite of breakfast, a weight settling in your stomach. “Do… do you think I’m in danger? You all caught the robber, right?”

“YES, OF COURSE, NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THAT!” He quickly reassured you, “BUT PEOPLE TEND TO BE FRAGILE AFTER SUCH AN EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE, AND IT WOULD BE UNPLEASANT IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO MAKE YOU FEEL EVEN MORE VULNERABLE OR SOMETHING.” He scooted net to you on the bed, and you found yourself leaning towards him, seeking the feeling of his bones against your skin.

“Ah, yeah… Papyrus, have you already eaten?” You were almost done, but you noticed he hadn’t brought any food for himself. Although, it might have been wishful thinking, but it felt like he was leaning into you as well.

“I TEND TO WAKE UP AND EAT VERY EARLY! WHILE I HAVE TAKEN THE NEXT FEW DAYS OFF OF WORK TO PROTECT YOU, I NORMALLY HEAD TO WORK BEFORE SUNRISE!”

No, he was definitely leaning into you. He was warm, and although only his arms were uncovered, in places you could still feel the heat from his ribs through his shirt. When you looked up to his face, you could see that happy orange glow on his face. “Oh. Well thanks for not getting me up that early. Not exactly a morning person, heh.” You set aside the dirty plate, now clear of breakfast foods, but Papyrus snatched it up almost as soon as it touched the blankets.

“NOT A PROBLEM DEAR!” He began to get up, to your disappointment. His face was pretty orange, and then your brain finally caught up to the fact that he had called you dear. It was a bit presumptuous, but it still felt… nice. Your face flushed red. “I’LL GO AND CLEAN THIS, AND IF YOU LIKE WHEN I RETURN WE COULD… SPEND SOME TIME TOGETHER?”

“Y-yeah, I’d…. I’d like that.” Oh. duh. The orange glow was his own blush! What a mess the two of you must have looked, orange and red blushing fools. You waved as he closed the door, and went into the bathroom to freshen up. You could watch more movies together… or there were a few games and books you wanted to finish, if he was okay with just relaxing together. When you got out you grabbed your phone to check for messages, but found that you had forgotten to charge it last night. It was at eleven percent. “Well that’s no good…” you mumbled to yourself, beginning to search your bags for a charger. Sure you had been out of it, but you were sure you had remembered to pack it… however, by the time Papyrus returned, you still had not found your phone charger. You didn’t even notice the skeleton until you heard the soft click of the door closing.

“IS SOMETHING WRONG?”

You turned around, frowning thoughtfully. “Can’t find my phone charger, although I could have sworn I packed it…”

“HMM… WELL, I DON’T REMEMBER PACKING IT. I ASSUME YOU’VE ALREADY CHECKED YOUR BAGS?”

“Yeah, all of them… maybe it fell out in the car? Or when I was packing back at the house… can we go back and check?” You didn’t like losing your communication. Especially when you weren’t hooked up to Papyrus’s wifi yet.

“HOW ABOUT WE DO THAT LATER, AFTER RELAXING FOR A BIT? THE BOOKS IN THIS ROOM ARE ONES I MOVED TO HERE IN HOPES YOU MIGHT LIKE THEM. AND YESTERDAY YOU MENTIONED WANTING TO FINISH A GAME?” He put a comforting hand on your shoulder, and you relaxed a little. It wouldn’t hurt to play a little bit. You had already told your manager that you’d be out for a few days…

“Okay. I’m just gonna send a few e-mails real quick while I have battery, okay?” you got on the bed, rapidly writing and re-wording a few messages to let people know you were okay. Papyrus got on next to you, leaning into you a little as you finished up. “Um, so, what did you want to do?”

“WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO! I DON’T MIND, I AM JUST EXCITED TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU!” he gave you that sunshine smile, and you melted against him.

“Well, have you seen that new series based on those books? I’ve already seen most of it, so i could play my game while we watch. It’s really good, promise!”

“NYEH HEH HEH, THAT SOUNDS LOVELY… DEAR.”

You blushed, but snuggled closer on the bed as he picked up the remote and you both began binging the series. There was a break for lunch where Papyrus went to make something and you just played your game, before he came back and you picked up the show again. It was early evening before you remembered your phone charger. “Oh dang, Papyrus, my charger!”

“WELL, IT’S GETTING RATHER LATE. WE CAN LOOK TOMORROW.” His arm had draped around your shoulders at some point, and he gave what might have been meant as a comforting squeeze.

But you wiggled away. “No, i really wanna go get it now.” you frowned at him, trying to show you were serious. You pulled out your phone to find it had died. “My phone is dead. I need to be able to contact people.”

“... I SHOULD START DINNER.” The skeleton stood, threw a sad look in your direction, and moved to the door.

“Papyrus. Take me home. I have a spare charger there, and we can come right back.” He was starting to make you nervous. But… he was probably just worried, right?

He paused at the door. “...YOU STAY HERE. I’LL BE UP WITH DINNER IN A BIT.” And then he left, closing the door behind him.

As you sat there on the bed, a cold chill ran down your spine. As much as you liked Papyrus, this was not okay. He couldn’t just keep you in his guest room if you wanted to leave. If he was going to be a controlling boyfriend… well, you weren’t officially dating, but this wasn’t a good sign anyway. You grabbed a purse, packing your phone, keys, and wallet, and opened the door to your room. The hallway was empty. “Papyrus!” You called as you walked down the hallway. There was a thump behind one of the doors behind you. You paused, and turned around. “Papyrus?” another thump. You reached out to the doorknob, attempting to turn it slowly, but it was locked and didn’t move. A few more thumps, and the door shook. You backed off, dashing down the stairs. What was in there?!

With the open floor plan, when you got downstairs you quickly spotted the skeleton in the kitchen, getting ingredients from the fridge.

“Papyrus, I want to go,” you called, walking towards the door. “Either you can take me to look for my charger, or i’ll go alone.”

Papyrus froze, but didn’t turn around. “PLEASE DEAR, GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM. YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO LEAVE.”

You sighed. “No Papyrus, I won’t.” and with that, you opened the door.

…

Or, you would have, but it was locked. You looked for the deadbolt, or any sign of the lock, but there was only a keyhole, nothing you could do manually. You tried the knob again, bashing against the door as you became more frantic. But nothing gave, and you were soon stopped by large gloved hands resting on your shoulders.

“IT WAS GOING SO WELL…” You were stiff, suddenly frightened. What the hell had happened. What happened to the smiling, energetic, silly Papyrus you had had a crush on? “WAS YOUR PHONE REALLY THAT IMPORTANT?” you didn’t answer, trying to slip away from his hands, but they held you firmly in place. “BECAUSE NOW I CAN’T TRUST YOU ANYMORE.” you were starting to hyperventilate. You were alone. In the house of a skeleton you thought you knew, with no way to contact anyone, at his mercy…

He let go, moving back to the kitchen to get ingredients. “WELL, I RECOMMEND YOU GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM. HOWEVER, FOR TODAY, YOU ARE FREE TO ROAM ABOUT UNTIL DINNER IS READY.”

The windows. Maybe you could get out through the windows?

“ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, I NO LONGER HAVE TO DELIVER EVERYONE’S FOOD TO THEIR ROOMS, AND WE CAN ALL EAT TOGETHER! YOU CAN MEET THE OTHERS TONIGHT!”

The windows were glued shut or something, because the wouldn’t open. Could you break them? With Papyrus right there? Maybe there were other doors, like to the backyard!

“I ADMIT, I AM VERY EXCITED FOR YOU TO MEET MY BROTHER! I’VE TOLD HIM A LOT ABOUT YOU, AND I HOPE YOU CAN GET ALONG WELL WITH EACH OTHER.”

All the doors were locked. The windows were locked. You pounded on them, but no one was around to see your distress. You returned to the kitchen.

“ARE YOU SATISFIED? YOU COULD BRING A BOOK DOWN HERE IF YOU WANT TO READ AND SPEND TIME WITH ME, BUT YOUR ROOM HAS MORE COMFORTABLE FURNITURE.” He turned to smile at you happily, before combining some things in a pot. Smelled like tomatoes.

“Why?” It was the only question you could think of at the moment, although more were sure to come when you calmed down, when your heart wasn’t beating frantically in a fight or flight response.

“TO KEEP YOU SAFE, OF COURSE.”

“I… I don’t get it.”

He heaved a large sigh. “LET ME EXPLAIN MORE THOROUGHLY, THEN. THE WORLD IS DANGEROUS.” He still wasn’t looking at you, continuing to chop vegetables and boil pasta. “THERE ARE SO MANY HARMFUL THINGS, HARMFUL PEOPLE, OUT THERE ON THE SURFACE. WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE, I WAS EXCITED, BUT I WAS QUICKLY DISTURBED BY THE LACK OF TRUST AND COMPASSION HERE ON THE SURFACE.” He covered the two pots on the stove, and finally faced you. He looked… depressed. “I CAN’T SAVE EVERYONE. AND I HATE THAT. BUT I CAN SAVE SOME PEOPLE. I THOUGHT YOU WERE SAFE, SIMPLY WORKING IN A DINER, LIVING IN A GOOD PART OF TOWN, WITH A HEALTHY ENOUGH DIET. BUT THEN THAT SHOOTER CAME INTO YOUR PLACE OF WORK AND I… I ALMOST LOST YOU.” he stepped towards you, and you backed away. “SO I KNEW YOU WEREN’T SAFE ANYMORE. SO I TOOK YOU HOME. YOU CAN BE SAFE HERE. I WILL PROTECT YOU. NO ONE CAN COME IN AND HURT YOU.”

This… this was too much. Was he obsessed with you?! Was he just crazy?! “You didn’t lose me Papyrus. You never had me.” He stopped, just outside the kitchen area, as you continued backing up to the stairs. “I only belong to myself. I’m grateful that you saved me from the robber, don’t get me wrong, but this… this isn’t right.” he didn’t follow as you ran back to the guest room, slamming the door behind you and stacking furniture in front. What was this… and what were you going to do?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yyyyyyup finally the revelation. We're maybe a little trapped.
> 
> You know what won't trap you? my tumblr! Or my much less used twitter. On tumblr I sometimes put out bonus content as well, although it mainly centers around my fic The Itch. But I'm really getting into this story, so who knows what you'll find... and if you can spare a few dollar, consider buying me a ko-fi! theres a link on my tumblr.
> 
> https://homesafterthemountain.tumblr.com/
> 
> @stripesnbooks
> 
> If you like this feel free to check out my other works too! I'd appreciate it!


	5. The Other Guests

When you agreed to come home with him, Papyrus was ecstatic. It made things so much easier, and showed that you genuinely wanted to spend time with him! He had planned on you staying in the “guest bedroom” for a few days, and then figure out how to keep you comfortable enough to want to stay longer. But then you had said on the first day that you wanted to stay! Things were going so well, as expected of a plan by the Great Papyrus. It would be so nice if he didn't have to keep you here by force. But now… the skeleton sighed as he stirred the sauce, adding in some more spice. This wasn't how he hoped to tell you that you would be staying here, but he supposed it could have gone worse. You just need to understand how small you were, how vulnerable, and how he could take such good care of you if you let him. Surely you would come around. And tonight, you would meet the rest of his happy family. Now he could go to work with his best friend Undyne, and come home to you and the rest of his family every night! Maybe he could even… get close enough… that you could cuddle every night! 

… But what if you hated him now? He… didn't know if his soul could take that. Well! He'd have to make sure you stayed in love with him! He was already in love with you, so the two of you were already halfway to being a couple! With a satisfied nod at that conclusion, he put the lid over the sauce. Time to bring everyone to dinner. 

 

You were trying very hard not to panic. You were trapped by an attractive, but definitely disturbed, skeleton monster. He was stronger than you, and seemed fully prepared to keep you here against your will. He hadn’t outright attacked you, but how long would that last? You curled up into a ball on the floor, the bed between yourself and the door. An untold amount of time passed before there was a knock. When you didn’t answer, the door cracked open.

“DINNER IS READY! COME DOWNSTAIRS AND MEET EVERYONE!”

…

Everyone? 

You slowly uncurled from your miserable ball to peek over the bed, where you could see Papyrus’s hopeful face, a tentative smile on his teeth. And it just about broke your heart. You didn’t know how to feel. So you stood up. You walked over to the door. You stared at Papyrus until he moved aside. And you went downstairs. Papyrus didn’t follow, and so you made your way to the dining room alone. On the table was a huge pot of spaghetti, with a bowl of meatballs on the side.

And seated at the table was a young girl.

She jumped when she noticed you, shoving the meatball that had been in her hand under the table. She couldn’t have been more than seven, with her hair in pig tails, wearing a flowery dress; her face looked a little guilty, but that quickly changed to curiosity.

“You’re the new lady!” she accused with a pointed finger.

You blinked. “Um. who are you?”

She jabbed a thumb at her chest. “I’m Kailey!” With that declaration, she took her sticky meatball hand out from under the table and continued eating her meatball. 

You slowly sat down, mind whirling, as you stared at this seemingly content human child. You didn’t have long to think before someone was grabbing your arm with decidedly non-skeletal fingers and causing you to jerk around and face a human man. “Wha-?” 

“Papyrus.” He growled, and spun around. “Papyrus! Why? How many people are you going to keep here?!”

This strange man’s hand was still gripping your arm, and you frantically tried to pull away. Papyrus stepped down the stairs and marched over, grabbing the man’s wrist until he let you go. “NOW SHAWN, I WILL NOT HAVE YOU HARASSING ANYONE,” he said sternly.

Shawn snarled, yanking his wrist back. “You’re the one harassing people! You’re  _ kidnapping  _ people!”

Papyrus sighed, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. “PLEASE TRY TO BEHAVE WHILE I GET SANS.”

As the skeleton left, the man sat down next to you. You flinched away. “Sorry. For just grabbing you like that. I just… was surprised Papyrus brought more people.” he gave you a gentle smile, and held out his hand. “I’m Shawn. Been here about seven months. Nice to meet you.”

You slowly reached out to shake his hand. “So he’s keeping several people here…”

“Just the three of us. Well, four now,” he said as he looked over at Kailey. She stuck her tongue out at him and finished her meatball. Looking closer, you noticed that while Shawn was dressed casually, he had some sort of… well, it had to be a collar around his neck. He noticed you staring and tapped it with a tight grin. “Shock collar. For my own safety, allegedly,” he said with a roll of his eyes. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Since you’re new, we need to think of a plan to get you out before he gets any of this on you. Then you can get help…” he trailed off as he looked over to Kailey. The little girl was staring at him, arms crossed, frown on her face.

“You’re being naughty again!” She accused, pointing a finger at him. “You’ll make them take me away from uncle Papyrus!”

“Uncle?!” You said in shock.

Shawn turned to you, shaking his head. “Far as i can tell, he just took her here from a bad situation, so she doesn’t want to leave.”

She huffed, puffing out her cheeks. “Uncle Papyrus takes care of us! He brings us food and keeps us safe and lets me have whatever toys i want and teaches me math an stuff! He’s the best and you’re a poopy face!”

“Look, Kailey,” Shawn said in exasperation, “it’s illegal. And it’s wrong. I don’t want to be here.”

“If you leave though, Papyrus said you’ll tell on us and they’ll take me away from him,” Kailey replied. 

Shawn opened his mouth to say something back, but was interrupted by a voice from the stairs.

“REALLY, I CAN’T LEAVE A MINUTE WITHOUT YOU ALL BICKERING. TUT-TUT!” came Papyrus’s voice. You turned towards it, but Papyrus wasn’t the first thing you saw. The first thing you saw was another skeleton. He was half the height of papyrus, even shorter than you, and wide set. His bone structure was completely different, almost like a cartoon, with his jaw fused to his skull and his teeth apparently one row of tombstones. But in a town full of monsters his appearance only had your attention for a few seconds. What you saw next was more interesting, more frightening. Around his neck he had a collar, like the one Shawn wore. On his right ankle was a think metal anklet that you recognized from movies as a tracker anklet, like for people under house arrest. And on his left ankle was a shackle, connected to a chain, and the end of that chain was wrapped around Papyrus’s hand. Like a prisoner- no. like a pet. The new skeleton was smiling casually, his hands in the pockets of the clean blue jacket he wore. Papyrus turned to you, meeting your eyes, and smiled. 

“I’D LIKE YOU TO MEET MY BROTHER, SANS!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope ya'll enjoying this! :3 finally, we see where Sans is. he's here.
> 
> Be sure to check out my other works, and come follow me on tumblr, come talk to me on twitter, and if you feel like it hit me up on discord!
> 
> https://homesafterthemountain.tumblr.com/
> 
> @stripesnbooks
> 
> https://discord.gg/ZVDHHnj


	6. The Tense Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good golly has it really been that long since i updated?! my bad!
> 
> short chapter, but its out, at least. i promise theres more to come.

Dinner was subdued. You picked at the plate of spaghetti in front of you, and while the few bites you had taken had been delicious, you simply had no appetite. Shawn was eating at a steady pace, stealing glances at Papyrus every now and then with narrowed eyes. Kailey was eating with gusto, not paying attention to much of anything. The new skeleton, Sans, kept staring at you. You would look up and find his small white eye lights, lights that you didn’t normally see in Papyrus’s sockets, locked on you. He would give a grin when you looked back, one that looked almost apologetic. But it just made you nervous, too nervous to even try to smile back, your gaze instead locking back onto your plate of noodles. You pushed a meatball around.

“I’M GOING TO WORK TOMORROW,” Papyrus announced. “AH, SINCE WE HAVE A NEW RESIDENT, I SHOULD EXPLAIN THE RULES OF THE HOUSE!”

“The rules are: don’t hurt each other and don’t leave,” Shawn explained, leaning close to you. “Simple enough.”

Papyrus glared at the human man, who shrunk under his gaze. “WELL, WHILE THAT IS THE GIST OF IT, YOU CAN ALSO TELL ME IF YOU WANT OR NEED ANYTHING! I’LL DO MY BEST TO KEEP YOU HAPPY AND HEALTHY WHILE YOU’RE HERE!”

You perked up at that a little. “While we’re here? Does that mean we can go eventually?” You also still needed your phone charger.

His smile tightened, his voice sounding a bit strained. “WELL, NO. IT’S STILL TOO DANGEROUS OUTSIDE. BUT YOU’RE HERE NOW! AND I’LL MAKE SURE YOU’RE COMFORTABLE. JUST TRY TO ENJOY IT!” Your energy vanished, your head dropping down to look at your hands. “W-WE HAVE ALL KINDS OF GAMES! YOU CAN’T CONNECT TO THE INTERNET, BUT I CAN BUY ANY SYSTEMS OR MOVIES YOU WANT! YOU… YOU CAN LIVE LIKE A PRINCESS HERE. RIGHT, KAILEY?”

Kailey nodded emphatically, smiling at you hopefully. “Yeah! Papyrus gets you whatever you want, like a bunk bed or a toy or special curtains with kitty print! We can have fun together! Shawn doesn’t like playing with me all the time.”

You tried to smile back at the child, but it came out only as a grimace. How could you be expected to look on the bright side or ‘give kidnapping a chance’?! The only reason you weren’t exploding right now was because you were terrified! 

Sans was still staring at you, and finally he spoke. “aw, kailey, i play with you too. I  _ shawn’t  _ let you forget me like this.”

You turned to face Sans, a bit bemused, as Kailey giggled while Shawn and Papyrus groaned in unison.

The other skeleton seemed encouraged, though. “what, are my feelings a  _ game  _ to you now? If you keep being mean i’ll have a  _ bone  _ to pick with you.”

Kailey was shaking with laughter, while Shawn shook his head and Papyrus leveled an unimpressed expression at his brother. You couldn’t help your lips quirking up, just a bit. The jokes were stupid, definitely, but… the atmosphere at the table felt a little lighter.

“are you saying you don’t have a…” he gave what you could only define as a shit-eating grin towards Papyrus.

“BROTHER. NO. I FORBID IT!” His voice rose, and he stood, causing you to shrink back a little, as Sans finished his joke.

“...  _ skeleton  _ of fun with me?” He finished, undaunted, as Papyrus shrieked and stomped his foot.

“REALLY SANS, CAN YOU NOT FOR ONCE-!”

“Pft.”

Papyrus turned to face you as you covered your mouth, but you just couldn’t hold it in. “pft… ha… hahaha… oh gosh… hahaha! Skele _ ton _ ! That’s the worst pun I’ve ever heard!” Your shoulders shook as you burst out in laughter at the pun, the delivery, Papyrus’s unfortunately cute reaction, the whole ridiculously unreal situation you found yourself in. “Skele _ ton _ !” you repeated, now cackling uproariously.

“N-NOW LOOK. YOU’VE GONE AND BROKEN MY HUMAN!” Papyrus huffed, looking between you and Sans. you missed him calling you his, so caught up in your laughter, and you also missed the look he gave you, concerned and irritated and reluctantly relieved. But even if you had seen it, you likely wouldn’t have been able to fully interpret that stare.

“Do… do you just do skeleton puns?” you huffed out between bout of renewed laughter.

“nah, got human ones too,” Sans said with an easy smile. “since coming to the surface, had to  _ flesh  _ out my repertoire.”

“Flesh!” you dissolved anew into near-hysteric laughter.

“YES. WELL. MY BROTHER’S TERRIBLE JOKES ASIDE, IT SEEMS THAT IT IS TIME FOR BED. KAILEY, GO WASH YOUR HANDS.” Papyrus shook his head at Sans, and Kailey obediently hopped off her chair and left, still giggling, to wash her hands. “THE REST OF YOU, BACK TO YOUR ROOMS! LIGHTS OUT AT NINE!”

Shawn grumbled as he got up from his chair, and you found yourself wondering what to do. Just go to bed, like a good little prisoner? You were pretty tired from the day, but you also instinctually didn’t want to obey anything Papyrus said.

“DEAR?” Papyrus stood behind you with a hand placed on your shoulder. “IT’S TIME TO GO TO YOUR ROOM. ARE YOU TOO TIRED? WOULD YOU LIKE MW TO CARRY YOU?”

A part of you did want to be carried, to feel that same comfort that Papyrus had given you after the attack at your diner. His arms had felt so safe. And you were sure that now, if you let him hold you, you could easily forget your circumstances and just let yourself relax in his arms.

But that wouldn’t be right.

You stood up, brushing off Papyrus’s hand and going to your room. You slammed the door shut. You collapsed on the bed. You fell asleep almost immediately.

And in your sleep, you cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a reminder that i have a tumblr! and a discord! not a lot is going on with either of them, but maybe that'd change if you showed up!
> 
> tumblr: https://homesafterthemountain.tumblr.com/
> 
> discord: https://discord.gg/jFNKFzr

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: https://homesafterthemountain.tumblr.com/  
> twitter: @stripesnbooks


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